Under the National Agriculture Development Scheme, the Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM) is being implemented through state governments. Under this scheme, financial assistance is provided to farmers for the purchase of various agricultural machinery and equipment, including post-harvest processing technologies.
In addition, support is provided for the establishment of Custom Hiring Centers (CHCs) and Farm Machinery Banks (FMBs) at the village level to make agricultural machinery available to farmers on a rental basis. Assistance is also being provided under the scheme for drone field demonstrations, individual drone purchases, and setting up CHCs to offer drone services.
To empower Women Self-Help Groups (SHGs), the government has approved a centrally sponsored scheme named 'NaMo Drone Didi'. Under this scheme, 15,000 drones will be provided to SHGs between 2023–24 and 2025–26. In the year 2023–24, 1,094 drones were distributed by Lead Fertilizer Companies (LFCs) using their own resources, out of which 500 drones were given under the NaMo Drone Didi scheme. The remaining 14,500 drones are targeted to be distributed by the end of 2025–26.
September 2024, the government approved the Digital Agriculture Mission at a cost of ₹2,817 crore. The objective of the mission is to develop farmer-centric digital solutions and establish a robust digital agriculture ecosystem. Under this mission, digital public infrastructure such as AgriStack, Agricultural Decision Support Systems, and Comprehensive Soil Fertility and Profile Mapping are being developed. Additionally, an AI-based chatbot named 'Kisan e-Mitra' has been developed to provide farmers with information related to the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme.
Advanced Agricultural Technologies Developed by ICAR: The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), various institutions have developed advanced tools such as drone spray systems, AI-based crop stress detection devices, smart sprayers, automated polyhouse spraying systems, robotic transplanters, automated weeders, image-based disease identification tools, variable-rate nitrogen applicators, and robotic tomato harvesters. These technologies are proving instrumental in precision farming, efficient resource management, and enhancing crop productivity.
Soil Health Card Scheme to Improve Soil Fertility: Since 2014–15, the government has been running the Soil Health Card (SHC) Scheme, under which farmers are provided with information about the fertility of their land, along with guidance on the balanced use of fertilizers. So far, 24.90 crore SHCs have been issued. Across the country, 1,068 permanent, 163 mobile, 6,376 mini, and 665 village-level soil testing laboratories have been established.
To raise awareness among farmers, over 7 lakh demonstrations, 93,781 training programs, and 7,425 farmer fairs have been organized. In addition, 70,002 'Krishi Sakhis' have been trained to educate farmers about SHCs.
